RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS "By The Way" /2LP/

The eighth full-length studio album by legendary American Alternative/Funk Rock band."By The Way" was a departure from the band's previous styles, and is recognized for the melodic and subdued emotions given by the Chili Peppers. Guitarist John Frusciante is credited with writing most of the album's melodies, bass lines, and guitar progressions. "By The Way" contained very little of the signature Punk-Funk fusion the band had become known for playing. Luckily, with this more sophisticated sound, the Peppers have not sacrificed any of their trademark energy or passions for life, universal love, and (of course) lust. Although they recorded the spiky "Abbey Road" EP in 1988, this album actually sounds a lot closer to the Beatles' "Abbey Road", with a little of "Pet Sounds" and elements of "Phil Spector"'s lushest arrangements all distilled through the band's well-traveled Funk-Pop stylings. Harmony vocals and string arrangements have replaced some of the aggressive slap bass that the group was initially recognized for, but fans of both the gentle and the fierce Chili Peppers styles will embrace the title track and first single, "By the Way". In fact, this song on its own could almost be a brief history of everything the Red Hot Chili Peppers have recorded: fiery Hollywood Funk, gentle harmonies, a little bit of singing about girls, a little bit of hanging out in the streets in the summertime, some rapid-fire raps from Anthony Kiedis, some aggro basslines from Flea.Overall, the album leans more toward the melodic end of their oeuvre, but they have grown into this kinder, gentler mode organically, progressively working toward this groove little by little, album by album. What once were snapshots of a spastic Punk-Funk lifestyle have grown into fully realized short stories of introspection and "Californication". Though the pace of the album falters at times, it is refreshing to see that as the four Chili Peppers continue to grow older and more sure of themselves, their composition and performing skills are maturing along with them!The album was sold over 286000 copies in the first week, and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. (Their next album would peak at number one). The album went on to sell over 8 million copies worldwide. In 2005, it was ranked number 375 in Rock Hard magazine's book of "The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time".Warner Bros. Records Inc./Warner Music Manufacturing Europe, 2002 (9362-48140-1). Made in Germany. Re-press. Comes with lyric insert.

Tracklist:

Disc One / SIDE 11. By The Way 3:372. Universally Speaking 4:193. This Is The Place 4:174. Dosed 5:12

Disc One / SIDE 21. Don't Forget Me 4:372. The Zephyr Song 3:523. Can't Stop 4:294. I Could Die For You 3:13